An 81-year-old Catholic priest, threatened with expulsion from the priesthood because he lives with his 85-year-old girlfriend, says the celibacy rules should be tested against human rights legislation.

Jan Peijnenburg has lived with his girlfriend for 46 years. Friend Harrie van Tuijl told the AD legal experts were now looking to see if legal action is an option.
Officials from Den Bosch diocese have told Peijnenburg he must leave either his partner or the priesthood by December 1. ‘We cannot allow him to do that which is forbidden to others,’ spokesman Michiel Savelsbergh told news agency AFP.
According to the AD, the diocese accepts the fact that priests do live with a partner but to go public and to campaign against celibacy ‘is a step too far’.
Van Tuijl told the AD the diocese has known about his position for a decade. If Peijnenburg is forced to choose, he will opt for his girlfriend, the friend said.